Really love this idea-wondering if it would work with rehydrated craisins for a Thanksgiving appetizer. Also wondering about rosemary over mint…
version ai :
Burrata With Crushed Cherries and Pistachios
Is this a dessert? A snack? An appetizer? A lunch? All of the above, obviously. This is another one of my most-favorite dishes from my new cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, coming out in paperback next month, and if you’ve been looking for a reason to preorder, this is it. It’s a very summer-specific dish, dependent on juicy, ripe summer cherries, ideally red ones, with their ruby juice, crushed and scattered over a milky ball of burrata, then seasoned with a few bright flakes of salt, a swirl of fruity olive oil, and some toasted pistachios.
It sounds simple, and it is, but it’s just the right alchemy: a burst of sweet-tart cherries with a little crunch from the pistachios and salt, all over a soft bed of what is essentially cheese cream. If burrata can feel too rich, too fatty, too much, the freshness of the cherries and the bright finish from the salt, olive oil, and pistachios keep it from becoming one-note. It’s very balanced. And as a bonus, the colors are fantastic.
What can you serve this with? As I said, it works at any time, but if you’re looking for other pairings, the cookbook suggests serving it with grilled halloumi, watermelon, and mint salad (from the same chapter!) or cherry ricotta cake with cornmeal streusel (from my last book) for something sweet. I’m thinking about it with some good bread and a crisp white wine later today, and for that, it will need a lot more cherries.
- 1 pound (455 grams) dark sweet cherries, pitted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 8-ounce (225-gram) ball burrata cheese, drained
- 1/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
- Roughly chop 1/2 cup of the pitted cherries and set aside.
- Combine the remaining cherries in a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Using a potato masher, fork, or your hands, crush the cherries until they burst and release their juices, but not so much that they become a uniform paste. You want pieces and texture. Stir in the reserved chopped cherries.
- Place the burrata in a shallow bowl or plate. Spoon the crushed cherries and all of their juices over it. Top with the pistachios and a tiny drizzle more of olive oil and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve immediately.
Do more with fewer ingredients? This recipe is excerpted from Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New and Classic Recipes for Your Forever Files, coming out in paperback in August. It is one of 100+ new recipes.
